Import Data

Import Data Wizard

To open the Import Data wizard form, click on File in the shortcut menu, then click Import.... The Import Data wizard allows you to set up and store specifications for importing data from other programs into Smart Contractor. Smart Contractor allows you to import data from any source that provides the following types of data:

Estimate Data.
Product/Price data from a particular vendor.
Product/Price data not from a particular vendor.
A Combination of Estimate and Product/Price Data (Estimate data that contains product data).
Vendor contact information.
Subcontractor contact information.
Customer contact information.

Smart Contractor can import data in any of the following record formats:

Comma Separated Value (CSV). This is what Excel exports to.
Tab Delimited.
Fixed Length Record.

Note: To import data from an Excel spreadsheet, you must first open the spreadsheet in Excel and use the "File" > "Save As..." menu option to save the spreadsheet data as a "Comma Separated Value" (CSV) file. Please see the How Do I... Import Data? topic for information about importing data in Smart Contractor. The Import Data wizard form has the following frames and prompts:

First Step

The first step of the Import setup wizard prompts you for the following:

Import To Add or Edit:

Click Add to add a new import setup, or select an import setup from the list to edit.

Import Name:

Enter a name for the import setup.

Import From File:

Enter the full path and name of the file to import, or click Browse to browse for it.

Import File Type:

Select the type of file to import:

CSV (Comma Delimited). Data records can be varying lengths, data fields are separated by comma's. This is the type of file that is exported from Excel.
Tab Delimited. Data records can be varying lengths, data fields are separated by tabs.
Fixed Length. Data records are all the same length; data fields are located by their position and length.

Import File Contains Time Sheet Data:

Check this box if the data to import contains time sheet (labor hours) data. If the imported data contains job time sheet data, the following prompts in this step of the import setup will be disabled.

Import File Contains Estimate Data:

Check this box if the data to import contains job estimate data. If the imported data contains job estimate data, you must select a job to import it to in the next prompt.

Import To Job:

If the data to import contains job estimate data, select a job to import it to. If the job does not already exist, you must create the job first.

Import File Contains Product/Price Data:

Check this box if the data to import contains product/price data. If the imported data contains product/price data, you may select a vendor to import it to in the next prompt.

Import Products For Vendor:

If the data to import contains product/price data for a particular vendor, select (or add) the vendor to import it to. If the data to import contains product/price data for multiple vendors (the vendor name is in each import record), leave this blank. If the data to import contains product/price data, but not for any particular vendor, leave this blank; the prices imported are assumed to be MSRP.

Import Products For Manufacturer:

If the data to import contains product/price data for a particular manufacturer, select (or add) the manufacturer to import it to. If the data to import contains product/price data for multiple manufacturer (the manufacturer name is in each import record), leave this blank. If the data to import contains product/price data, but not for any manufacturer vendor, leave this blank. Once you have completed entering the appropriate information in the first step of the import setup wizard, click "Next" to go on to the next step.

Import Product Data To:

Click on an option to indicate where to import the product data:

Product List - Check "Product List" to import product data to the Smart Contractor product list.
Product Data Repository - Check "Product Data Repository" to import product data to the Product Repository

Import File Contains Vendor Data:

If the data to import contains vendor name and contact information, check this box. This will allow you to import the contents of the import file to the Smart Contractor vendor data.

Import File Contains Subcontractor Data:

If the data to import contains subcontractor name and contact information, check this box. This will allow you to import the contents of the import file to the Smart Contractor subcontractor data.

Import File Contains Customer Data:

If the data to import contains customer name and contact information, check this box. This will allow you to import the contents of the import file to the Smart Contractor customer data.

Second Step

The second step of the Import setup wizard shows the data in the import file and prompts you to specify which fields in the import data map to which data in Smart Contractor.

Sample Import Records:

A grid that displays the fields and records in the import file.

First Line = Headings (Don't Import First Record):

Check this box if the first record of the import file contains field headings.

Use Product Group As Sub-Group Name:

Check this box if the "Product Group" field mapped in the Detail Item Record Map contains a second level item group name in imported estimate data.

Map Import File Columns To Smart Contractor Data - Group Name Record Map:

The Group Name Record Map grid does not appear if you are not importing estimate data. The Group Name Record Map grid allows you to map a field in the import record that contains the estimate item group name when the same field is also used for something else in other records. For example, some estimate import files place the item group name in the same column as the item name, but the item group name appears in a record with no other data. To map the group name field in the import record, enter the position of the group name field in the import record, and enter the position(s) of any other field(s) that contain data in the same record as records that contain the group name. The program will import the group name only from records which have data in the field mapped to the group name, and data in other fields mapped in the Group Name Record Map. But it will not import any of the data mapped to the other fields. It just uses the mapping of the other fields to indentify records which contain the group item name.

Detail Item Record Map, or Import Record Map:

If you have checked either of the options to import vendor, subcontractor, or customer data in the previous step, this grid will be labeled "Import Record Map". Otherwise, it will be labeled "Detail Item Record Map". Import Record Map When you have checked either of the options to import vendor, subcontractor, or customer data in the previous step, this grid will allow you to map columns in the import file to data fields in the vendor, subcontractor, or customer data in Smart Contractor. Detail Item Record Map When you have checked either of the options to import Estimate or Product data (in the previous step), this grid will be labeled "Detail Item Record Map" . The Detail Item Record Map grid allows you to map imported data fields for "detail item" import records. "Detail Item" a import records that contain information about individual estimate items or products. "Group Item" records contain information about estimate items or product groups. Notice that you can map both estimate data fields and product data fields for one import record. If you do, the program will import both the estimate data (into a job estimate) and the product data (into the Product List), and connect the two so that the imported estimate item refers to the imported product record. If the imported detail record contains price information, the program will import the product data to the "Product List", and record the price under the vendor mapped in the detail item record map (if the vendor is mapped). If the vendor is not mapped, then the program will record the imported price under the vendor selected in the prompt for "Import Prices For Vendor:" in the first step of the import setup wizard. If the vendor is not mapped in the detail item record map, and no vendor is selected in the prompt for "Import Prices For Vendor:", then the program will load the product information into the "Product Repository", and no product information will be linked to the imported estimate item. Please see the How Do I... Import Data? topic for a discussion of the "Product List" versus the "Product Repository". Once you have completed entering the appropriate information in the second step of the import setup wizard, click "Next" to go on to the next step.

Third Step

The third step of the Import setup wizard has a grid that shows the data to be imported, as it will be imported into the mapped data fields in Smart Contractor.

Data To Be Imported:

The data to be imported grid shows the data to be imported, as it will be imported into the mapped data fields in Smart Contractor. The first column shows the "Result" - an indication as to whether that record will be imported. If the Result contains "OK", that record will be imported. If the Result does not contain "OK", it will display a note explaining why that record will not be imported.

Show Errors:

If any records in the data to be imported grid do not have "OK" in the Results column, the "Show Errors" button will appear. Click the "Show Errors" button to display only the records with errors (which will not be imported). Click "Show All" to display all records again. Once you have decided to import the data as it appears in the data to be imported grid, click "Import" to complete the import process. Note: If you have never imported data to Smart Contractor, or are not sure about what the results of importing data will be, please make a backup of your Smart Contractor data before proceeding with the import. That way you will be able to restore from the backup if you do not like the result of the import.